Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday visited climate activist Sonam Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar and expressed solidarity with his indefinite hunger strike over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination, as the Congress appealed to the activist to end his fast and the Delhi High Court ordered daily medical monitoring of his health.
Addressing protesters at the demonstration site, Kejriwal urged the Centre to listen to students and young people demanding reforms in the examination system and called for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
"Every year, exam papers get leaked and youth pay the price. I appeal government to listen to students and Wangchuk," the former Delhi chief minister said.
Kejriwal said Pradhan should step down and suggested that Wangchuk be made the country's education minister.
Recalling his participation in the 2011 anti-corruption movement, Kejriwal said, "While coming here today, I was reminded of April 4, 2011, when I sat at this very place with Anna Hazare during the anti-corruption movement. Three years later, that government lost power because it failed to listen and allowed arrogance to overtake accountability."
He praised Wangchuk for fighting not for himself but for students and children across the country, and said the activist had put his own life at stake for the cause.
The visit came as Wangchuk completed the 19th day of his indefinite hunger strike, with doctors warning that he had entered a critical stage of prolonged fasting after losing more than nine kilograms.
According to the latest medical bulletin issued by Dr Satish Lamba, Wangchuk's blood sugar stood at 80 mg/dL, his pulse rate at 72 per minute, while his blood pressure was 105/61 mmHg in the lying position and 101/65 mmHg while sitting. Although his hydration remained fair and he was mentally alert, doctors warned that prolonged fasting could begin affecting his organs.
"After glucose reserves are exhausted, the body consumes fat. After that, muscles begin to get consumed. His ketone level had reached 3-plus and, after improving hydration, it has come down to 2-plus. His uric acid is high, which indicates that muscles are being consumed," Lamba said.
"The next stage can be alarming. Organs can be impacted. We are keeping him under 24x7 vigilance and hope it does not reach that stage. I urge the government to intervene as soon as possible because he is a precious gem and we do not want to lose him. If organs get impacted, it can be really alarming for us," he added.
Taking note of Wangchuk's deteriorating health, the Delhi High Court directed authorities to monitor his condition daily and provide medical intervention whenever necessary.
"We observe that life of any citizen is precious and all medical efforts ought to be made by government authorities to save the same," a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said.
The court directed that Wangchuk's condition be examined regularly by government doctors and ordered authorities to provide any medical intervention required to prevent further deterioration. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the Delhi government, told the court there was no objection to regular medical monitoring.
Meanwhile, the Congress appealed to Wangchuk to end his fast in view of his health condition while reiterating its demand for Pradhan's resignation.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said the party had been demanding the education minister's resignation for over a month and a half and shared Wangchuk's concerns.
"We share the anguish and outrage that Shri Wangchuk ji feels, especially due to the lack of accountability within the Modi Govt - for the collapse of the examination system in particular," Venugopal said in a post on X.
"In view of his health condition, we appeal to Shri Wangchuk to end his fast. His concerns are our concerns and that of other Opposition parties as well. Rest assured, we will continue to confront the Modi government and demand the Education Minister's resignation," he added.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also said the party had consistently demanded Pradhan's resignation over the alleged examination irregularities and that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi would raise the issue again during his interaction with students in Dehradun on Friday.
Despite repeated appeals from political leaders and supporters, Wangchuk ruled out ending his fast, saying doing so without any response from the government would send the wrong message.
In a video message released late Wednesday night, he said medical tests had not indicated any immediate danger and appealed to supporters to strengthen the Cockroach Janta Party's proposed "Chalo Sansad" march on July 20, the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, instead of urging him to end the fast.
Support for the agitation continued to grow, with farmer leader Rakesh Tikait announcing a visit to Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar on Thursday evening. Music composer Vishal Dadlani, actor Sayaji Shinde and author Shobhaa De also urged the government to engage in dialogue with the activist and expressed concern over his health.
The Cockroach Janta Party has been protesting at Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and has called for a Parliament march on July 20.